Which Colleges Have the Best Libraries?

College Search & Selection
21

<p>^Yes, heres a picture: <a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Riggslib.jpg[/url]”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Riggslib.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you search Riggs Library you’ll find a bunch of pictures of it.</p>

22

<p>Kcombs: Thanks! It’s gorgeous! Now I need to find pictures of Bowdoin’s libraries… I want the college I attend to have a nice library because I think I’ll spend a lot of time there studying.</p>

23

<p>The University of Kentucky does have a nice library! I’m quite surprised.</p>

24

<p>The Claremont Colleges library has went through several upgrades in the past couple of years, including a beautiful new Cafe (that is open the whole time the library is open, which is 24/7 during finals) in addition to more seating areas. However, at peak times it can be hard to find a table of your own. The desktop computers provided are pretty good for all standard work, and they are usually available to use (word processing, etc).</p>

25

<p>Anonymous91: Thanks for the information! It sounds really nice!</p>

26

<p>Top Ten libraries are already ranked:
[The</a> Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS)](<a href=“The Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS) | HuffPost College”>The Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS) | HuffPost College)</p>

27

<p>informative: Thanks! I actually looked through the list, but I was just wondering what everyone on CC thought. :)</p>

28

<p>re #7: Fisher Library is a wonderful building but it would be misleading to call it the main Penn Library; it’s really part of the Art Department. Van Pelt is the main library and looks like this:</p>

<p>Outside: <a href=“http://www.upenn.edu/admissions/tour/images/photos/3.jpg[/url]”>http://www.upenn.edu/admissions/tour/images/photos/3.jpg&lt;/a&gt;
Inside: <a href=“http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9tYv4sfx9QM/0.jpg[/url]”>http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9tYv4sfx9QM/0.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

29

<p>Emory doesn’t use traditional collegiate architecture so ours wouldn’t be considered stunning (in architecture, however, it is surrounded by trees, has a tower, rotundra portion, and is attached to Candler building via a bridge. It actually looks nice), but it is very nice and offers very nice views and solid facilities (Matheson reading room, and some floors of the stacks are an example). I’ll put some flickr pics up, that show the inside and outside of some of the learning/study facilities. Lots of people tour them for some reason:
<a href=“Search: Emory University library | Flickr”>Search: Emory University library | Flickr;

<p>Anyway, the pics range from the main library (stacks and learning/info. commons), the chem. library (attached to Huy Davies lab, has the neat ultra-modern look), Cox Computing, and Matheson reading room (looks like an older building that was renovated, which is actually what it is). Also, in some pics (note that you must look at one and go back as this person seems not to allow you to access a full album), you’ll see the ugly concrete building. It’s half of the chem. building, and the chem. library is inside of it (the main library is the roundish stucco one).</p>

<p>Hello: Choose a school for academic quality, not how the library looks (no offense, actually I don’t care, b/c that type of approach is idiocy). The school should remain your first choice. It has excellent programs and student body. You will get over the fact that its library is not breath-taking. Seriously, should someone liking Northwestern pass up an education there because the library has brutalist architecture, or MIT because of the exterior of its facilities are less appealing than non-engineering schools (one would argue the same about Harvard. Many other top schools have much nicer campuses green space and architecture wise)?</p>

<p>Also, there are plenty of places to study and most top schools have several libraries (seriously, we have like 7-9 and they are fairly nice, I can’t imagine how many Brown has. We also Cox Computing Center which is another place to study/do work. It need not be a library).</p>

30

<p>

If you intend to apply to schools of that caliber, brush up on the use of the subjuntive tense in english. </p>

<p>“I wish its library WERE prettier.”</p>

31

<p>1) Bapst - BC
2) Michigan Law
3) Suzallo - Washington
4) Butler - Columbia
5) Fisher - Penn</p>

<p>Rest</p>

32

<p>DunninLA: Thank you for correcting me. :slight_smile: I did see the error a few minutes after I posted the message, but I couldn’t edit it.</p>

33

<p>Bernie12: Thank you for the links. :slight_smile: Of course Brown is going to remain my top choice. But thanks for the input. I do actually love MIT’s campus, but it’s definitely not the school for me.
You’re right that library shouldn’t be the deciding factor. There are many other places on campus to study besides the library.</p>

34

<p>I don’t like MIT’s (or most engineering schools) . I also don’t care for schools with brick (particularly red-brick architecture) architecture. I am from Savannah, Ga, and the colonial/Georgian (or Jeffersonian, w/e) architecture, while conducive to all sorts of beauty, gets old. That’s why I’m not as impressed w/places like Vanderbilt, UNC Harvard, UVa, Dartmouth, Brown, W & M, WL as most people. Seen it before. I can, however, respect the layout of UVa (nice quads. Design is conducive to “warmth”, but I care less about that. Besides the campus is still extremely large). For some reason, I actually prefer our (more modern, even facilities w/sketch looking exteriors are pretty nice on the inside). Most campuses have extremely high points and extreme lows, we go from high to moderate, w/o going rock bottom. However, 5-10 years ago was a different story. I found historic pics and was like wow! This place has come far. Many people dislike it w/passion. Guess they don’t get that “nolstalgic” (as in of accomplishments within the “old halls” of the institution) feeling that older campuses w/less modern architecture give. We’re all about post-modern and lots of trees, forests, plazas, ravines, where possible as opposed to intense architecture w/ several sprawling lawns and quads (also, the marble contrast really nice in fall, spring, and summer). I really only dislike it in winter when the trees are gone, but as far as I’m concerned, only schools on the east coast-mid-west that look good during winter are gothic/gothic"ish along w/those that employ collegiate gothic (which I like more than even ours).</p>

<p>By the way, those pics never showed any exterior of the main library complex, I found one: <a href=“http://epv.smugmug.com/Clients/Tbilisi-Poster-Project/14161630_uUq5a#1045021866_hpwgd-A-LB[/url]”>http://epv.smugmug.com/Clients/Tbilisi-Poster-Project/14161630_uUq5a#1045021866_hpwgd-A-LB&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Unlike many people, I don’t see how one can hate this. Doesn’t look particularly bad to me.
Pics of chem library (now I can make it clear what you’re looking at):
<a href=“http://epv.smugmug.com/Clients/Interiors-for-Strategic-Plan/Chemistry-Library/14484483_qKcC5#1075313449_g9vZq[/url]”>http://epv.smugmug.com/Clients/Interiors-for-Strategic-Plan/Chemistry-Library/14484483_qKcC5#1075313449_g9vZq&lt;/a&gt;
Cox Computing:
<a href=“http://epv.smugmug.com/Clients/Interiors-for-Strategic-Plan/Cox-Hall-Computing-Lab/14484688_iSDiS#1075332048_PPHPz[/url]”>http://epv.smugmug.com/Clients/Interiors-for-Strategic-Plan/Cox-Hall-Computing-Lab/14484688_iSDiS#1075332048_PPHPz&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

35

<p>Bernie12: I’m from a small town in MO and the only university is very modern looking. It’s okay, but I love a variety of things. Stanford’s campus is gorgeous, as is USC’s. I know what you mean about red brick. It looks standard and plain, but sometimes it can be pretty.</p>

<p>Too many Gothic buildings can make a campus look less attractive, I think. I love green lawns and lots of trees. They really make a difference.</p>

36

<p>Bernie12: I think universities that were founded back at least 100 years ago really tell a story by making their campuses look a certain way. A mix of old and new is perfect.</p>

37

<p>Bernie12: I’m actually thinking about applying to Emory. I have a couple questions about the transportation. What do you think about MARTA or do you even use it? I’ve heard that a car is necessary to get around in ATL, but I would think that as a college student, it would be a bit of a hassle. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your major? I am hoping to major in International Relations and minor in Middle Eastern Studies. I’m pretty sure Emory offers both and that makes me happy. :)</p>

38

<p>You’re right, Dunninla, that sentence does call for the subjunctive tense; but now I have to point out that subjunctive has a c in it. If you’re going to correct other people’s grammar, you ought to make sure your own post is without error.
;)</p>

39

<p>I like USC and Stanford (but Stanford much better) and I actually even prefer us to say USC because there is more consistency in the quality of facilities. USC is very much like us in terms of growth. There is a lot of new growth. What seems different is that we have the tendency to renovate the older buildings in various ways in addition to adding new ones. USC reminds me in some senses of Georgia Tech, where the really old stuff is mixed with the new. Emory is also a mix, but there seems to be zones. Some w/mostly new, some w/old of one architecture, some w/old of another. At Tech, for example, you’re too often left wondering, “why the heck are those buildings adjacent to each other?”. At least when we have such blunders, we’ll use a hill/staircase,plaza, some sort of landscaping, or clever angling (as in building position/placement) to soften the blow from some perspectives. </p>

<p>Also, Hello: The polisci program here is really strong, and there are interesting and experienced faculty members in both (there is in fact some overlap).
By the way, MARTA is okay, considering how sprawly Atlanta is (better than most transport options in large southern cities). Emory has a reasonable alternative if you want to remain between campus, decatur, downtown, and midtown. We have our “cliff-shuttles” and it is literally the 2nd largest transport (only buses though) system in Atlanta. It serves to primarily transport employees (and is thus free) from various parts of metro Atlanta (as in parts close"ish" to Emory, but not really), but anyone, especially students, are allowed to board. We have shuttles that go to Grady, Emory-midtown, Northlake Mall, Southlake Mall, Executive Park, Georgia Tech (not a part of cliff though), etc (on weekends the Cliffs function to go to Lenox and as Emory experience shuttles which goes to various popular destinations in Atlanta. Also goes to nearby shopping center. And on weekdays, goes to Publix at night) As far as I am concerned, these are in some senses more useful than MARTA unless you need to go to a more suburban area (like going to Buckhead, Sandy Springs, etc.). In which case, you could also take the Georgia Tech shuttle and go to the mid-town train station and go from there. This may actually take less time than going all the way to Lindberg station (traffic sucks on the way there, Tech driver takes short cuts that make it take less time to get to mid town to there and Lindberg is tecnically closer). </p>

<p>Anyway, this is a slight rundown of how the transport system works. If you aren’t spoiled and have some patience, MARTA and Cliff will suffice.</p>

<p>Also, the Atlanta campus is really only about 96-97 years old (opened like 1914-1916ish) and only recently started to undergo any sort of transformation. Trust me, it has stories of its own. If only you could see the historic pics and see it now. It’s like everything but the quad was essentially gutted or renovated in some way and even that is questionable.</p>

40

<p>Thanks so much! Your post was very informative! USC is my second choice, so I really want to get in, but it’s so competitive! </p>

<p>I’ll have to google old pictures of Emory’s campus. It sounds amazing!</p>

<p>I probably won’t leave campus that often, so I can definitely deal with the forms of transit available.</p>

<p>Stanford is too good for me. Applying isn’t practical for me because I would have no chance of getting in.</p>

<p>You sound like you truly love Emory and that’s awesome! I hope I’m accepted to a school that I honestly love and am happy attending.</p>